Teachers at a Roman Catholic school have been accused of undermining pupils’
respect for them after they filmed a spoof of the pop hit Gangnam Style
complete with half-naked changing room scenes.

Staff including the headmaster performed the horse-riding-style dance moves made famous by Psy, a South Korean rapper, in the parody video, which has been watched more than 3,000 times since being uploaded to YouTube.

However, a local Conservative councillor has suggested that parts of the clip would not encourage the students to look up to their teachers.

The version of the song recorded at Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School in Accrington, Lancashire, depicts teachers, receptionists and cleaners doing the distinctive lassoing and galloping dance moves in locations around the campus.

It opens with school headmaster Xavier Bowers with his feet on the desk in his office being fanned, and goes on to feature staff performing in classrooms, corridors, a minibus, a lift and the reception.

In a science laboratory a skeleton gyrates to the music, and in the film’s climax staff dance together in the school gym.

In one scene, copied from Psy’s original video, two male members of staff wearing only towels around their waists sit in a changing room.

One puts his head on the other’s shoulder, and they are then joined by a third topless man who joins them on the wooden bench.

The video – which was posted on YouTube with the caption, "You will never see our staff in the same light again!" – has attracted a variety of comments on the school’s official Facebook page.

One mother said it was “hilarious” but added: “How will I keep a straight face on parents evening?”, while a pupil noted: “I will never look at my teachers the same again.”

Peter Britcliffe, a local Conservative district and county councillor, said: "I am not a killjoy but I have looked at the piece, which is being discussed all over Accrington. It is the talk of the town's young people.

"Having viewed it myself, while most of it is just good fun, there are parts of it certainly that might not improve the respect there should be between teachers and pupils."

However, Mr Bowers rejected the criticism, saying: "This kind of thing strengthens the relationship between teachers, pupils and parents who have given us an overwhelmingly good response. This is a spoof, like the one done by soldiers serving in Afghanistan."

Monsignor John Daly, a school governor, added: "It is just a harmless bit of fun."

Psy’s original version of Gangnam Style became the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube.

The song, which mocks the lifestyles of the residents of Gangnam, a district of the South Korean capital, Seoul, has become a worldwide sensation.

Parody versions have been recorded by pupils at Eton College, British troops serving in Afghanistan, and public figures including Ban Ki–moon, the United Nations secretary–general, and Ai Weiwei, the Chinese dissident artist.

Even Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, admitted to the Conservative party conference in October that he and David Cameron "danced Gangnam Style the other day, you will be shocked to discover".